the other woman! - 𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 - 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐭𝐮𝐛

By the time they reached the police station, Monica's heart rate had slowed down and her blurred vision faded. The officers informed their parents and Hopper about their whereabouts and made them wait in their office. 

They had handcuffed Jonathan's wrist, making him wait by their office desk while her and Nancy sat towards the wall. Thanks to Nancy and the lady at the front desk, he was given ice for his face wounds from the fights in silence. His silence was more like him calming himself down from raging out on Steve. Rightfully so.

When Nancy was finally finished checking on Jonathan's bruised face, she attempted to notch Monica's attention when she sat back down next to her. 

Monica blinks, cautiously rubbing her sweaty fingers for a sense of comfort. "Monica?"

"Yeah." Monica's soft voice cracks before she clears it up. Her body slouched as she was some severely awkward 12-year-old.

"Are you okay?" Nancy looked directly at Monica, reaching out to hold her hand with pure concern.

Monica instantly remembers the vicious words from Steve: "I saw you and Nancy so if I were you, I would definitely stop talking and stay away from my girlfriend..." 

Reliving that moment made her move her hand and reluctantly answer Nancy. "I don't want to talk about it."

Nancy's brow furrowed with suspicion. "Are you sure? You seem..."

"I don't want to talk about it, okay?"

Nancy, taken aback by Monica's stern voice, blinks before deciding to drop the subject. She bit her tongue, knowing that Monica was keeping something from her.

Regardless, they remained quiet for a short while or so before they saw a familiar car park outside from the window. Monica tilted her head up as they all shared a confused look.

"You think..." Nancy was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. 

It was Joyce, Hopper, and Linda, Monica's mother, clearly irritated yet concerned. She was the main one who was upset based on the grit of her teeth and flushed face. Like Monica had said before, she was screwed. Monica never had seen her mother so upset which made her scared of what the police actually had told her. Hopefully not be enough for Monica to be in a body bag by the time Linda was finished.

"You." Linda fumed, looking straight into Monica's fearful eyes. "I turn my back for five seconds... and you already have trouble with the law?"

Nancy interjects defensively while Callahan, who was in the room with the trio, tries to calm her down. "She didn't do anything."

Joyce's eyes widened once she saw the cuffs and black eye on Jonathan. When Monica first saw Joyce, she could see the spark in her eyes was now gone which broke Monica's heart. "Jonathan? Jesus, what... What happened? Why is he in handcuffs?"

"Well, your boy assaulted a police officer. That's why." Callahan tries to explain before Joyce orders him to take it off of Jonathan. "I'm afraid I can't do that."

Hopper spoke sternly. "You heard her. Take 'em off."

By that moment, Powell added his common sense to gain all of their attention. "Chief, I get everyone's emotional here, but there's something you need to see."

When showing Hopper the trunk of Jonathan's Ford, it showcased all of the weapons and death traps that they were withholding. A perfect sign that could further anyone's suspicion. The fight with Steve and his goons painted the story: troubled kids with lax parents cause problems given the Will situation as a way to get back at the world. It was almost hilarious how far off they actually were.